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Why Lincoln says it's loving Ellen and Conan MKC ad spoofs [w/videos]

You would think that commercial being ridiculed across the Internet would be an advertising executive's worst nightmare, but that's not necessarily the case. At least not when it comes to Lincoln and its latest campaign to promote the new MKC.
The campaign features Matthew McConaughey channeling his characters from True Detective and The Lincoln Lawyer, and was quickly spoofed by both Conan O'Brien and Ellen DeGeneres. But instead of shaking their heads in dismay at the comedy talk-show hosts' take on their ad, Lincoln and its advertising firm Hudson Rouge welcome the free publicity.
"We're flattered. Just to get out into the public mind with parodies says you've achieved a certain amount of notoriety," Hudson Rouge CCO Jon Pearce told Automotive News. "It's hard to put a dollar amount on earned media. We couldn't ask for better."

Roll like bad, bad LeRoy Brown in this '74 custom Continental

In the 1973 number one hit single, "Bad, Bad LeRoy Brown," Jim Croce sings about a gentleman from the South Side of Chicago who has "a custom Continental and an Eldorado, too." The Eldorado presumably was unremarkable factory fare, but we have to believe that the custom Continental Croce was thinking of when he wrote the song was something very much like this Lincoln Continental Mark IV. For sale right now on eBay Motors, the car was customized, apparently when new, by ASC (American Sunroof Corporation). The client was not LeRoy Brown but was a Mr. Ronald M. Nassar, and his name is engraved on gold plaques on the door armrests. Mr. Nassar was an industrial designer and worked at ASC. The makeover is quite extensive. Besides the chrome wire wheels wrapped in wide whitewalls, pinstriping, and the twin leaping greyhound hood ornaments, there's an entirely customized padded vinyl top. The factory oval opera windows are replaced with vertical oval oper windows, and landau bars are applied. The rear window is also oval. Inside, the gold crushed-velour upholstery and factory fake woodgrain merely provide a starting point. The custom features include a refrigerator/food warmer, a crystal goblet holder on the dash, and a television built into the back of the center console. Note what looks like a miniature oil painting on the inside C-pillar. In the trunk, there's a fur spare-tire cover. Perhaps the most amazing aspect of this creation is that it has been driven less than 100 miles. Ever. The odometer shows just 64 miles, which is supported by the lack of wear showing on any of the interior items. The floor mats look like they have never been sullied by the soles of anyone's shoes, and those are just the factory mats. A set of white fur floor mats in a plastic bag are also included. The asking price is $18,900, which is certainly not out of line for a vehicle of such inimitable 1970s style. For an even greater dose of Mr. Nassar's vision, check out his home, which went on the market two years ago. It's not on the South Side of Chicago, but the north side of Detroit, and it makes this Lincoln look understated. Featured Gallery custom '74 Lincoln Continental Mark IV View 10 Photos Lincoln Coupe Luxury Classics

GM design boss Welburn says Lincoln isn't a Cadillac rival [w/poll]

General Motors Vice President of Global Design, Ed Welburn, had some dismissive words for a certain cross-town luxury brand during an interview with Car and Driver. When asked about his thoughts on Lincoln, Welburn deflected, before saying, "I don't consider Lincoln to be a competitor for Cadillac."
"They're not a global luxury brand. I don't consider them a competitor. Are they a competitor for Buick? Quite possibly. But not for Cadillac," GM's head designer explained. Welburn, who's been at the helm of GM Design North America since 2003 and is the first to hold the position of VP of Global Design, has been instrumental in the styling renaissance at GM, so predictably, Car and Driver's interview with him focused on the design aspect of cars.
During the interview, Welburn explicitly denied plans for a reborn Cadillac XLR, even as a new Chevrolet Corvette is hitting the market and strides are being made with Cadillac's V-Series performance arm saying, "We have a lot of cars that we're working on for the Cadillac brand. The XLR is not one of them right now."